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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. snap — to click
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bound — tied together
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. toast — bread
  11. pass — a permit
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com